With the rollout of boosters of life-saving vaccines, new treatments, and a large population already infected, the U.S. is in a less vulnerable place than it was in 2020. However, the death toll, while lower than before, is still at around 400 deaths per day from COVID-19 in the U.S.
FINDINGS Women with COVID in pregnancy who are subsequently vaccinated after recovery, but prior to delivery, are more likely to pass antibodies on to the child than similarly infected but unvaccinated mothers are. Researchers who studied a mix of vaccinated and unvaccinated mothers found that 78% of their infants tested at birth had antibodies.
The team of Prof. Alain Vanderplasschen, virologist and immunologist at the University of Liège, has published an article in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, reporting ten years of research on how a carp virus has been using a protein domain called Zalpha (Zα) to inhibit the defence mechanisms of the host cell.
Two recent UC Davis studies reveal how skin forms differently across different areas of the body from the face and underarms to the palms of our hands and feet. By profiling the changes in skin, researchers found that the differences have a direct impact for how various skin diseases form across the body.
Why do some people become seriously ill with Covid-19, while others have no symptoms at all? The answer may lie in the proteins our immune system has previously been exposed to.
LJI research shows that a "slow delivery, escalating dose" vaccination strategy can prompt B cells to spend months mutating and evolving their pathogen-fighting antibodies.
Though well-known as a respiratory illness, COVID-19 can also affect the nervous system. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Infectious Diseases have developed a new tool and possible vaccine candidate that could help scientists understand how SARS-CoV-2 could be invading these cells.
Fungal pathogens have a major global impact upon human health – they are often difficult to diagnose and treat, and there is an urgent need for better diagnostics and more effective antifungal treatments.
Researchers from the Institute of Biotechnology, University of Helsinki, pioneers in identifying the first patient mutations on the NFkB1-gene, cooperated with international clinicians to identify and characterise a plethora of unreported NFKB1 variants on patients with immune system related illnesses.
Physicians & health professionals from the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) along with rheumatology patients gathered on Capitol Hill this week for the annual Advocates for Arthritis event to urge lawmakers to take action on a range of policy issues affecting patient access to care.
“But what we’re seeing now is that the placenta is vulnerable to COVID-19, and the infection changes the way the placenta works, and that in turn is likely to impact the development of the fetus,” Dr. Kristina Adams Waldorf said.
It’s been known for decades that astronauts’ immune systems become suppressed in space, leaving them vulnerable to disease, but the exact mechanisms of immune dysfunction have remained a mystery – now a Cornell undergraduate has found a potential solution.
Drew Pardoll, M.D., Ph.D., and Suzanne Topalian, M.D., leading cancer immunotherapy investigators in the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy and Kimmel Cancer Center, have been named by the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) as Fellows of the Academy of Immuno-Oncology.
Children with certain immunodeficiency diseases carry mutations in genes that regulate the body’s immune system against viral infections and they have a higher mortality rate due to COVID-19.
Schwann cells are known to protect and repair nerve cells. Until now, however, it was not known that they themselves take over functions of certain immune cells during nerve healing.
Researchers from Cleveland Clinic’s Florida Research and Innovation Center (FRIC) found that disruption of a cellular structure, known as the actin cytoskeleton, is a “priming signal” for the body to respond to a virus. These findings, published in Cell this week, potentially lay the groundwork for development of new anti-viral vaccines and treatments.
A study assessed resident physicians’ perceptions, coping strategies and self-reported levels of depression, anxiety and stress experienced during the early phase of the pandemic. Results showed that 88.1 percent felt they were likely or very likely to become infected with COVID-19. If infected, 28.8 percent felt that their illness would be serious or very serious. With respect to depression, anxiety and stress, all the mean scores were in the normal range. For depression, residents in emergency medicine and surgery reported higher levels. The top three coping strategies included acceptance, self-distraction, and use of emotional support. The three least used strategies included behavioral disengagement, substance use and denial.
On behalf of the nation's radiation oncologists and the more than one million people with cancer they will treat this year, the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) applauded today's House passage of bipartisan federal legislation that would rein in restrictive prior authorization practices that delay patient access to critical cancer treatments.
Winners will examine impacts of COVID-19 on lung function, maternal and child health outcomes, underrepresented minority youth, and respiratory recovery.
Rutgers Cancer Institute expert shares evidence-based cancer information with this population and steps that can be taken now to prevent and reduce risk of disease.
A set of interacting molecules in immune cells of the gut is responsible for preventing the inflammation seen in inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), UT Southwestern researchers report in a new study. The findings, published in Cell Reports, suggest a new drug target for treating IBD and related conditions.
The David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA has been awarded a $13.6 million grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue to study the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines and the long-term impact of infection among U.S. health care workers. The new yearlong grant project follows the 2020–21 Preventing Emerging Infections Through Vaccine Effectiveness Testing study, or PREVENT I, which was among the first to demonstrate the real-world benefit of mRNA vaccines in preventing symptomatic infection following their authorization by the Food and Drug Administration.
A fungus that is a common cause of fungal meningitis undergoes a remarkable transformation once it enters the body, allowing it to infect the brain, according to new research by scientists at University of Utah Health. Studies in mice show that as the fungal intruder travels through the body, it shrinks and acquires characteristics that help infection to spread, all in a matter of days. The discovery could lead to new strategies for blocking Cryptococcus neoformans infection
and preventing detrimental effects on the host.
Mount Sinai researchers have made two important discoveries about the mechanism by which bladder cancer cells foil attacks from the immune system. The research, published in Cancer Cell in September, could lead to a new therapeutic option for patients with these types of tumors.
In an international, multicenter Phase II clinical trial led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 63.3% of patients with stage II–IV cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) saw their tumors nearly or completely disappear when treated with immunotherapy before surgery.
Large populations studies have previously demonstrated that Hodgkin lymphoma occurs in families, pointing to a likely genetic predisposition that makes these families more likely to develop this cancer.
Over the past two years, scientists have studied the SARS-CoV-2 virus in great detail, laying the foundation for developing COVID-19 vaccines and antiviral treatments. Now, for the first time, scientists at the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have seen one of the virus’s most critical interactions, which could help researchers develop more precise treatments.
In comments submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in response to the CY 2023 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule and Quality Payment Program proposed rule, the ACR applauded proposals that would provide more flexibility and improve care coordination.
A team of engineers and doctors at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities have designed a unique 3D-printed light-sensing medical device that could help millions of people worldwide with lupus and other light-sensitive diseases.
Neutralizing antibody levels against the original COVID-19 virus and omicron variants in vaccinated adults tend to decline by at least 15% per month after a single booster shot, a new study using serum from human blood samples suggests.
The Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (CSACI) and the American College of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology (ACAAI) are partnering for the first-ever North American Pediatric Allergy and Asthma Congress (NAPAAC).
A new study by UT Southwestern’s Simmons Cancer Center scientists suggests that lactate, a metabolic byproduct produced by cells during strenuous exercise, can rejuvenate immune cells that fight cancer. The finding, published in Nature Communications, could eventually be used to develop new strategies to augment the anti-tumor effect of cancer immunotherapies, the study authors said.
Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital discovered how some cancer cells survive treatment and cause cancer to recur, along with a potential way to stop the process.
A UC San Francisco-led team of international researchers has outlined the comprehensive immune landscape and microbiome of pancreatic cysts as they progress from benign cysts to pancreatic cancer. Their findings, publishing August 31 in Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, could reveal the mechanism of neoplastic progression and provide targets for immunotherapy to inhibit progression or treat invasive disease.
Adding an ingredient called an adjuvant can help vaccines elicit a more robust immune response. In a study in ACS Infectious Diseases, researchers report a substance that boosted the immune response to an experimental COVID-19 shot in mice by 25 times, compared to injection with the vaccine alone.
A first-of-its-kind study conducted in collaboration with LSU’s School of Kinesiology, LSU Athletics, Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Our Lady of the Lake researched how the immune system of elite student-athletes responded to the COVID-19 virus.
Amoebae receive surprising support in defense against viruses: The bacteria they are infected with prevent them from being destroyed by giant viruses. A research team led by microbiologist Matthias Horn from the Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science at the University of Vienna have investigated how a virus infection proceeds when the amoebae are simultaneously infected with chlamydia. The research team shows for the first time that intracellular bacteria known as symbionts protect their host against viruses. Amoebae are protists, i.e. single-celled microorganisms with a cell nucleus. Protists play a key role in food webs and ecosystem processes. Consequently, the results of the study suggest that the interaction between symbionts and viruses influence the flow of nutrients in ecosystems. The study is now published in the journal PNAS.
With COVID-19 vaccines pushing down costs of mRNA technology, a study in mice from Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine experts sparks hope for next generation treatments and potential applications to developing world and veterinary diseases
If bacteria enter the body, it often takes just a few minutes for the innate immune system to recognise them as foreign and set the immune defence in motion.